Destiny, What Art Thou?
by Iliya Moroumetz
Summary: Whether 'tis nobler for Belenus to bear the arrows and spears of life, or give it, so that another may live... 'tis Destiny


[In the streets of Gerabellum, Warhammer walks through the Town Square, past the slaver's cages.]  
  
WH: To quote Freya from the beginning of the game, "Fate can be a cruel mistress."  
  
  
Teknos Warhammer presents  
  
Destiny, What Art Thou?  
  
A Valkyrie Profile fanfic  
Based on the Playstation game made by Enix and Tri-Ace  
  
Note: Some of the events referred to in this fic are from the offical manga books published in Japan. So, there will be some minor descrepencies in the story when compared to the game. I'll explain at the end.  
  
*  
  
High above the grounds of Midgar, the clouds parted as a human shaped figure flew to the grounds outside of the large town of Gerabellum. Upon first sight, it would appear to be a woman clad in dark blue armor, a white billowing ankle length skirt, and feathered helm. To most, this would appear to have been an unusual sight, but for those who knew better, this was the Battle Maiden, Valkyrie.  
  
The large wings that helped her glide slowly to the ground dissipated as her foot touched the soft soil in the middle of a grove of trees. The winds of death had called her to the town just north of her location. It was the voices of those who would soon be slain, which drew her to this town.   
  
Those voices also gave her pause as her armor changed into a heavy cloth dress, long sleeved shirt, and thick wool vest and her helmet vanished into thin air. From what she could hear, it was a man's voice. The voice had suggested that much time had passed since he had felt true joy, yet was not at all resigned to despair or misery.   
  
It was not long before she had entered the town and could not help but wonder how people could still live in such a dreary town. One could not turn around without beholding the drab color of stone. The roads were stone. The walls were stone. The houses were made of stone. Even if some of the people were not made of it, their actions suggested they would have been suited for stone.   
  
In the middle of all this stone which passed for a city, there was a single noble soul which she would place at her side and send to Valhalla for the sake of winning Ragnarok against the Vanir. Yet, from the other Einherejar she had found, finding a soul with faith, humility, and virtue was a truly hard thing indeed.   
  
Passing through the Town Square, Lenneth noticed several large and empty cages and their black clad owners. Though she knew none of the slavers, she could not help but feel a slight bit of animosity for those who made a living off of selling people. Yet, she felt a bit of confusion at the anger she felt. She had never seen them before and had no real personal reason to do them harm. She let them be and continued to where the emanations became stronger.   
  
*  
  
Walking down the streets of Gerabellum, Belenus Von Williams found the day beginning to grow dreary and dank. Mother Nature appeared to be in a rather foul humor today. The wind, although slight, was still cold enough to chill anyone improperly equipped.   
  
Behind him was what most considered to be his personal slave, but such was hardly so. Asaka Ichijo, a Yamato woman of about twenty-five years, dressed in a similar fashion of her master, followed obediently.  
  
It was one of those rare days when his mood and the weather were actually in harmony. The man was on his way to the central square to 'purchase' a slave from the traders who rounded up the children of parents who had no choice but to sell them. Or people of foreign lands foolish enough to let their guard down. He required that Asaka accompany him, because he could not speak the language of the Yamato should he purchase one of their people.  
  
Asaka had voiced her objections to going to the slaver's pen. The memories of being there once was bad enough, but to return and see other innocents being sold and traded like pieces of furniture was beyond her capacity of pain. In an effort to stay away, she had attempted to take them away from it by taking interest in a flower she had taken from the side of the road. That flower, along with the grass, which grew alongside it, was one of the few things that had any sign of life in the city.   
  
Belenus had deduced her discomfort and told her that her picking a flower was very little, if not at all, different than choosing a slave. It was destiny, he said. Once more, he kindly implored Asaka to accompany him. She finally agreed and followed him.   
  
Unbeknownst to either of them, Lenneth spotted them and watched Belenus from a distance. From her unique ability of hearing the past and future, she began to hear the story of the one who would eventually become her Einherejar.   
  
Belenus was born into one of the wealthier families in the city. Sadly, his memories of his mother were scattered and foggy at best. A plague had come and utterly destroyed Annabelle Von William's health in his third year. Try as he might, Jonathan Von William found himself unable to take care of his young son. As a result, he had hired Maria Brayen as a handmaid to raise the young master.   
  
Belenus had grown hardly knowing the man his father was. Though he was able to find in his late mother's journals the type of man she had married, it only brought sorrow to his heart to see the cantankerous and stingy old man his father had become. It was like his father had left and a complete stranger took his place.   
  
Through the years, there was little to no contention between Belenus and his father. However, that was soon to end as Belenus began to train himself in the ways of a swordsman at the age of fourteen. At a young age, he had found his ability to wield a sword came next to natural and threw himself in study of the sword. Reading through his mother's journals, he discovered that she too was quite handy with the sword before marring his father and henceforth found his ability to come naturally. His skills grew in leaps and bounds. Within a matter of two and a half years, Belenus was known as the best swordsman in all of Gerabellum.  
  
His father, however, was against his choice and demanded he study the laws of the country as a diplomat. Belenus refused, for swordsmanship had become a new passion for him. The words between Belenus and his father only grew hotter and more vicious as Belenus entered his eighteenth year. Until one night, Belenus had chosen to take some money he had saved and travel, abandoning his studies, his home, and least important of all, his family.   
  
In his travels, he had discovered many different places that almost made him envious of their simple lifestyles. Yet, he also saw the poverty that was prevalent among the lower classes and felt the first pangs of guilt about his position as a son of a diplomat. A month or so later, he met a young man of eight years leaving the dreaded Valley of the Weeping Lilies. The boy's face was literally covered in dried tears and in spite of his best efforts, Belenus could not discover the reason for his new companion's sorrow. All Lucian Voltaire did was repeat a single name, but the name became lost within the depths of Belenus' memories.   
  
For months, Belenus and Lucian traveled together, helping the boy regain his sanity and hopefully move on. It was also where Lucian also showed great potential for the sword and from his own experience, discovered Lucian's nearly self-destructive excitement in the field of battle. Implore as he would, Belenus found his young apprentice exceeding him in terms of skill, but not in control.   
  
It was also that same time that Belenus began to see that was becoming more and more like his father. The fits of anger, the long silences between him and Lucian, and the near draconian tone that his voice began to develop. It also brought back of all the memories of kindness Maria had shown him. He had tried to place his thought of anywhere except home, but it was no use. In a sudden moment of inspiration, he felt the need to return. Lucian, though confused as Belenus was, followed him back to the city.   
  
It had turned out that another plague had overcome the city and his father was stricken with it as well. Belenus, without thinking, had administered an antidote he had received from a physician in his travels to save his father's life. The medicine was readily available in the eastern countries, but nearly nowhere to be found in the west. To Jonathan's surprise, Belenus had chosen to save his life, in spite of all the heated and hateful words they had exchanged. Belenus had admitted to Jonathan that father and son was more alike than they dared let on. The young master was only nineteen when his and Lucian's paths divulged.   
  
From his knowledge of making the antidote, Belenus was heralded as a hero on the city for the many lives he had saved. Even the lives of his father's political opponents found themselves awestruck at the selflessness of Belenus Von William. With Maria's help, Belenus and his father did what they could to repair the emotional damage that had festered for nearly twenty years, though it was a slow and painful process.   
  
Two years later, the slave trade inside the city had reached an all time high and many of the higher-class citizens were eager to possess their own slave for whatever reason they wanted. From his travels, Belenus had discovered, much to his horror, exactly how slaves were treated and did everything in his power to stop it. Yet, the ruling class had made its decision. It was not long, however, before Belenus would get an even closer look of the trade he despised so.   
  
The poor child was only eleven years old when the slavers had found her and brought her back to town. Maria took pity on the child and purchased her, much to Lord Von Williams' dismay. However, she had appealed to his more human side and allowed her to stay and became a close friend to Belenus. He was a young man of twenty-one at the time.  
  
With the passage of time, Asaka had become less of a slave and more like a friend to the young master. From his experience on the road, Belenus had treated Asaka more fairly and justly than anyone else she had met. Some of his colleges, however, did not share the same sentiment. Most of, if not all, the Yamato in Gerabellum were slaves and were treated as such.  
  
When she had turned sixteen, Belenus had offered her freedom. She could continue to live as a servant, earn a salary, and pay her own way or she could leave and return to her people. Much to Belenus' surprise, she chose to stay and be his handmaid after Maria had passed away the year before.   
  
Within the following years Crell Monferaigne had begun to declared war on several of its neighbors. Jonathan was called as a negotiator to help stem the flow of soldiers coming from the north, but alas, he was to be one of the first casualties. Yet, some people believe that it was a miracle that a tornado came along and blew countless Weeping Lilies into the massive strike force sent to conquer the other cities. The soldiers never got up and perished where they slept.   
  
Though the war was short, the scars left upon Belenus were almost more than he could bear. After so long, after trying so hard, all his efforts to heal the scars of the past were in vain. To many, seeing a strong man of twenty-five weep as he did would more likely than not bring nothing but ridicule. However, Belenus was beyond caring. He had lost his father, who had become one of the most important people Belenus knew. The evening when he heard the news, Asaka had held him the same way he remembered Maria and his mother holding him. It was through Asaka's care of him that brought him out of his depression.   
  
Though not much had changed with the passage of time, they had still remained as true friends as a brother and sister could be. Yet, such a friendship nearly turned sour when he announced his plans to marry Ellen Melrose. The reason being Ellen's attitude was rather cold hearted when it came to foreigners, which was not much different than most in town. However, with Belenus' insistence, all had become well for a time.   
  
The peace in their household did not last for long. For the following nine years, Lady Ellen miscarried every child she and Belenus attempted to have. It was no use and the home, which once held warmth and comfort to those who would enter, only found it to be cold and bitterly silent.   
  
Later, doctors had discovered that Ellen's blood had a disease in it which not only made her barren, but began to wear away at her health. In spite of all this, Belenus had done his best to remain a faithful husband, though he and Ellen lost all communication with each other.   
  
It was not until a month ago, that her weakened state had finally become too much for her body to keep up with. The sky had turned dark and the rain beat mercilessly upon Belenus and Asaka as they buried Ellen. Though Asaka feared that Belenus would break down like the time before, she was saddened even more that he turned even more inward than before. He would come out of his reprieves often to do what was necessary. To her subsequent relief, he started to act more and more alive, but time was starting to catch up with him.   
  
"Fifteen years..." he muttered to himself. He ran a hand on his face and felt that time had not been kind to him. At age thirty-six, he was hardly a weakling by the standards of warriors, but he was not the land traveling adventurer that the famous Kashell Unmeir was.   
  
"Lord Belenus... are you well?" Asaka asked him, noticing his hesitation.   
  
Coming out of his reprieve, he nodded and continued onward. The Valkyrie with the silver hair continued to listen in beneath the confines of his body, to the swirling confusion of thought beneath.   
  
Destiny. What was it? If anyone could truly define what its life changing power was. Was it destiny that placed Asaka into his care? Was it destiny that his parents were to die in such horrid manners? That his wife was stricken with diseases that no medicine could cure and Maria unable to withstand the vicious jaws of time?   
  
He took one last look at the flower that he had placed on her ear, giving her the same innocent appearance she had when they first met. Was it that flower's destiny to be picked, like hers was be to be picked from her home? In all honesty, Belenus did not know.   
  
*  
  
To his mild disappointment, the slavers had no one to offer today. And it looked like it would remain that way for a while. The new war Crell Monferaigne had waged made the slave trade all the much more difficult to deal with. Asaka was pleased, yet not overly so. If Belenus did purchase any slaves, they would be treated well. Unlike her, the rest would be consigned to a fate worse than death.   
  
It appeared that nothing could be done. After speaking with the man in charge, Belenus started on his way home, with Asaka following close behind.  
  
Lenneth, upon seeing them leave, felt the winds of death come closer and closer. One of them was going to die very soon. The only questions were how and when. She broke her gaze from the noble and the Yamato girl to see a man in a black cloak leave the square. As a goddess, she could feel the souls of anyone she came into contact with, but she could only feel a void with that man.   
  
'The undead.' Lenneth said to no one.   
  
*  
  
Evening came quickly, and for some it was far too quickly. Belenus had found sleep to be impossible at the moment, but tried nonetheless. However, looking at his window, he discovered that the moon was giving his room an eerie glow to it. In addition, he started to feel very cold, even beneath the covers of his bed.   
  
Something was wrong. He emerged from his covers to see a small light floating around his door. Already, Belenus felt the dread rise in his blood as he reached for the sword by his bed. Unsheathing the weapon, he charged and swung, only to see the spirit dodge his blade as easily as a bird escaping the grasp of a child.   
  
Seeing the futility of the situation, he started back upon seeing the spirit closing in. In all his years, he had never faced off against a spirit. Only beasts and bandits felt the edge of his blade, never ghosts.   
  
He was about to give up all hope of survival when a shining light came through the light of the window and slashed the spirit in half. The light then grew and changed in shape, revealing to Belenus that it was the Battle Maiden.   
  
Lenneth turned to the awestruck Belenus and said direly, "The girl. She's in danger." No sooner had the words left the Valkyrie's lips, Belenus heard Asaka scream in fright. Not wasting another moment, Belenus dashed from the room to the servant's quarters.   
  
Lenneth only sighed at his hurry. It was far too late for him to do anything. Yet, she had more important work to do. Without another thought she flew out the window and to the bottom floor, where the Undead was and Belenus would be.   
  
"Asaka!" Belenus screamed, kicking open the door to the Yamato woman's room.   
  
All he found was his servant collapsing to the floor, lifelessly and the beast that dared kill an innocent woman. In a black cloak, the vampire looked from the lifeless Asaka to Belenus and smirked, revealing his sharp teeth.   
  
"Good of you to come. You just saved me the trouble to hunting you down too." The man with red hair said, right before Belenus raised his sword high to chop him in half. However, the vampire's speed and strength was much greater than Belenus'. So, the vampire knocked the sword away and grabbed the Gerabellum noble by the neck.   
  
"You know, I actually feel kind of sorry for you." The vampire said, raising Belenus higher. "Do you have any idea just how much Ellen hated your little Yamato wench? So much that she wanted you dead too."  
  
Belenus' eye widened at the pronouncement. "You... lie!" he said, trying to keep conscious.   
  
The vampire shook his head and continued with mock sympathy, "She thought you were having an affair with that little waif, and so she summoned me to kill her and you." His grin only grew wider as a chuckle began to form. "Yet, the sad thing is that you never would have touched the Yamato girl, but, I must do as my summoner asks. And the best part is, the price she paid was her own life. I do not mind telling you, human, that you were most certainly rooked."  
  
The grip on Belenus' neck tightened more, until bones were about to crack. At that rate, Belenus' neck would have snapped had it not been for an omnipresent voice booming, "Desist! Defiler of Souls!"  
  
The grip on Belenus' neck loosed and the noble coughed viscously as he rolled away. From his position on the ground, Belenus beheld the Valkyrie once more, but this time, she was not alone. Behind her, were a young woman that bore a striking resemblance to the princess of Artolia and a rather large man with an even larger sword.   
  
The vampire looked at the trio with disgust and hissed, "And just who does Odin's lapdog think she is, interfering in Lord Brahms' business?"  
  
"Brahms?" The large swordsman said.   
  
"Brahms, the king of the Undead and enemy of all that lives. With abominations such as this one here, he causes chaos and misery among the children of men." The Valkyrie said , drawing her sword.   
  
"Heh." The larger man growled happily, brandishing his massive weapon, "So that's our enemy, huh? Sounds good."   
  
The vampire scowled before snarling, "I'll make sure that Brahms devours your wretched souls whole!" With that, he charged and a battle between the vampire and the Valkyrie and her agents began.   
  
"Burn like the piece of trash you are!" The female Einherejar screamed before sending a pair of lance shaped flames at the vampire. Though the blast had hit their mark, it also succeeded in enraging the vampire even more so. In seconds, the girl found herself flung to the wall before Valkyrie or her large companion could stop the vampire from doing so.  
  
With his sword in his hand again, Belenus tried to push himself to help, but found more questions forming in his head.   
  
"Why? Why can't I gather the courage to do more than just watch?"  
  
Though the Valkyrie and her warriors had the vampire outnumbered, the latter seemed to have gained the upper hand as he summed several ghouls to send Valkyrie into the wall.   
  
Belenus looked to the lifeless Asaka and recalled the vampire's cutting words. The only explanation that he could come up with was destiny. But was it destiny that drove Ellen to insanity? To lead Ellen to try and kill Asaka and himself when no wrong had been done unto her? Was that what destiny was?!  
  
Even with the larger Einherejar's size and strength, he found himself struggling to keep his balance as the vampire mercilessly struck him down.   
  
If seeing all this death and misery was what destiny was...  
  
"I will not accept it!" Belenus screamed before charging straight at the vampire. With the larger Einherejar out of the way, the vampire brought his arm back to strike Belenus down. Seeing the arm raise, Belenus swung early, purposely missing, using the momentum of the swing to turn around, switch the grip in his hands so that the blade pointed downward, sped up his turn, and with all his strength, thrust the blade into the vampire's neck.   
  
"Burn in hell, blasphemer." Belenus growled with an anger and rage he had not felt in years.   
  
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Valkyrie jumping into the air, allowing a pair of magnificent crystal wings to appear. From those wings, sparks of light emerged until they formed a large spear in her hand. Giving the female Einherejar a nod, she brought her hand back, and with all the force of the Goddess of Fate, screamed, "Nibelung Valesti!"  
  
At that same instant, the female that accompanied Valkyrie dashed forward, gathered Belenus in her arms, and leaped to the side just before the giant spear utterly destroyed the vampire.   
  
The sword Belenus used fell to the ground with a loud clunk as nothing of the undead man remained. Valkyrie and her compatriots breathed heavily, for this agent of the dead was much stronger than what they were used to. Their victory was the last thing on Belenus' mind as he raced towards Asaka's side, calling her by name in vain hope of reviving her.   
  
Turning to the Valkyrie, he implored, "Please. I beg of you. Help her."  
  
The noble's hopes were dashed as the Valkyrie shook her head, "I cannot. It was her destiny to die like this. No one has been able to escape it."  
  
To the Einherejar's surprise, Belenus screamed on the brink of tears, "Be damned of you and your 'destiny'! She did nothing to deserve such a fate!"  
  
Valkyrie remained stoic as she continued, "Destiny favors, nor spares any. Nothing can change that truth."  
  
Holding Asaka's dead body closer, Belenus sobbed quietly, "I loved her... she deserved more than what life or destiny gave her."  
  
Seeing Belenus hold the dead Yamato girl close suddenly made Valkyrie's head ache. All of a sudden, she saw a young man, cradling a girl in a field of strange flowers. The boy was crying, and though the words she heard the boy and Belenus spoke were different, the feeling was not. Then the pain became stronger as Valkyrie held a hand to her head in hopes of suppressing it.   
  
"Hey, Valkyrie, you ok?" The larger man said.  
  
The Battle Maiden nodded once before continuing. "Belenus." She stopped a fraction of a second to consider what she was about to do. Yet, if it would put his fears to rest, then all should be well. "In spite of what I said earlier... there is a way to bring her back."  
  
The noble quickly turned to her, revived hope glowing in his eyes.   
  
"Soul Transfer... she will be revived and returned to the world of the living... but you will take her place in turn." Seeing Belenus' hope almost made her stop, but continued nonetheless. "In addition, you will be enlisted by me. You will be a servant of the Gods as an Einherejar."  
  
Belenus did not need any time to think. He stood up, walked past Valkyrie, and within minutes returned with a letter and placed it upon Asaka's bed. Kneeling beside Asaka, he said quietly, "I cannot help but feel that all this is my fault," he then turned to the Battle Maiden and whispered, "I accept your offer. I will do all in my power to assist the Gods in their endeavor in return for Asaka's life..." He was about to say more, but held his tongue.   
  
Lenneth nodded once before allowing the wings, which had appeared earlier to return. "For your sacrifice, the Gods shall protect her from harm, so you have nothing to fear concerning her safety."   
  
Belenus smiled one last time before whispering, "Thank you."  
  
Spreading her wings and arms, Lenneth changed, "By the power that is mine... let this single soul be taken in exchange for the one that was lost." Within seconds, Belenus' eyes grew heavy and he slumped to the floor.  
  
"Now let us go."  
  
*  
  
Blinking, Asaka pushed herself up to see her master, lying dead on the floor next to her. She tried to raise him, but found it useless. From the corner of her eye, she saw the letter left on her bed. Curiosity driven, she opened the envelope and read the letter within.   
  
  
"Asaka;  
  
By the time you read this, I will be long dead. I am writing this to you so that you'll be left comfortably. I was planning on giving you my estate and fortune when I retired, for I have no use of it. Yet, because of what has happened, I cannot help but allow it to be given to you now. I chose, of my own violition, to give my life so you could live. Do not mourn for me, for I do not regret my choice. Do with my house and fortune as you see fit. Or use it to help more Yamato slaves escape from the fate that you escaped from. Go to some of the other nobles that are good friends of mine and show them another letter I left on my bed, they will help. If you wish, you may also sell my property and return to your people. It was too late for me to acknowledge that I loved you while we both breathed. So now, I want you to know that I always cared for you deeply, though I failed at showing you adequately. Please Asaka... live... live the life that I regretted not choosing... live the way you choose.   
  
I love you;  
Belenus Von William"  
  
Tears began to well up in her eyes as she turned to see Belenus' inert body and held the letter tightly as more followed, trying in vain to keep them at bay.   
  
From the realm of the unseen, Belenus bowed his head at seeing Asaka weep. "Forgive me, Asaka... Ellen... I did my best for you both and I gladly damn myself had I done any less."  
  
*  
  
In the room that once belonged to Ellen Von William, Lenneth opened the top drawer to see what exactly drew the vampire to this house in the first place. A small clay slab with a pentagram and several unknown runes lay on top of the sheets. In addition, the stains on the slabs were ones of blood.   
  
"So, the woman spilt her own blood so she could shed the blood of another." The though of the unjust accusation and sequential deaths caused her to clench her fist, utterly destroying the clay slab.   
  
"But why? Why did she do such a horrid thing?" Her thought turned to the vision she saw upon seeing Belenus and Asaka. "What was that I saw? A memory?" More recent memories brought back her first encounter with the Necromancer, Lezard Valeth.   
  
When she was about to collect her second Einherejar, Arngrim Sayers, she had met the spy Lombert and the man who had assisted in his evil works. The Necromancer simply watched as she and Arngrim meted out justice against the traitor, only to create a horrid monster that had entangled them all after falling in a rune circle.   
  
During that time, Lezard had not only declared his perverted love for her, but also had the unmitigated gall of removing the Nibelung Ring. The loss of the ring was the beginning of all the visions and headaches.   
  
The pain she could deal with, but the thing that hurt her most was the confusion she felt every time she saw those visions.  
  
What did they mean?  
  
Unknown to her, two pairs of suspicious eyes watched Lenneth warily from a distant location.   
  
"Is the security working normally?"  
  
"Yes it is. She will never know the truth."  
  
"And if she does find out the truth?"  
  
"No worries. She will be negated and a more capable one will take her place."  
  
"Good. As cruel as it sounds, our victory rides upon her ignorant obedience."  
  
  
THE END  
  
[Outside of Gerabellum, WH walks through the forest.]  
  
WH: I'll have you know that I was listening to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings in woodwind, brass, choral, and organ when I wrote this. And it should be taken into account that Valkyrie Profile's atmosphere is not really a happy one... just like ours.   
  
I could have chosen any other characters for focus on, but I chose Belenus for a few strange reasons. I've always liked the type of heroes who can give their lives for the sake of another. And anyone that would give his or her life in the place of another has got to be a pretty dang good guy.   
  
A small gripe: In the Japanese Anthologies and 4 Koma books I've collected about VP, they've always listed Belenus as having a Lolita Complex... that's sick. Also, considering the fact that Belenus and Asaka weren't that far apart age wise, when they first met and Belenus is supposed to be 36... it just doesn't add up!! Heck! Even that brat Jalenda looks younger than Asaka, so what are they griping about?! But enough of this.   
  
I've also included the battle scene that took place in the manga published by Enix in Japan and added a few things myself. After all, is not fanfiction a source of creative license? Though it was a short fight, I hoped my fight scenes were believable enough.   
  
Destiny is quite an odd thing, if I do say so myself. It's hard to truly define and even harder to figure out... so my answer is this: Hope for the best, but expect the worst.   
  
Let us not forget: C&C is ALWAYS appreciated.   
  
Valkyrie Profile and everything affiliated with it belongs to Enix and Tri-Ace.  
  
I recieve no monetary gain from this fic, so don't bother finding a reason to sue me.   
  
Now, I am off to write more. Take care, all ya in fanfic land.   
  
[WH falls over a tree root and into a bush, which was right by a river and floats downstream.] 


End file.
